New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is on his way back to the team with the best record in the American League entering Wednesday as he continues a rehab assignment.
Cole, the American League's reigning Cy Young Award winner, made his first rehab start Tuesday night with the Double-A Somerset Patriots.
The 33-year-old righty tossed 3.1 shutout innings against the Hartford Yard Goats and is scheduled for another rehab start before his expected return from the 60-day injured list.
When is Gerrit Cole's next rehab start for Yankees?
With Cole having thrown on Tuesday, his next rehab start is scheduled for Sunday, June 9. It also is scheduled to take place in Double-A and again Cole will face the Yard Goats. This game caps a six-game series in Somerset.
Cole was slated to throw between 40-50 pitches during his first rehab game Tuesday night. It's likely that number will increase slightly, depending on how he feels following the initial rehab start.
Cole did mention to reporters following the outing that he felt good in his return to the mound.
"Definitely close," Cole told reporters after the outing. "I'm not sure how many more (rehab games) we need, but definitely closer rather than farther away. It should be right around the corner here."
The Yankees starting rotation has been one of the biggest surprises of the MLB season thus far. The starting five owns the best ERA (2.73) in the American League and the second-best in MLB behind only the Philadelphia Phillies (2.69) entering Wednesday.
Still, the Yankees are chomping at the bit to get their ace back on the bump to help keep this stellar start going into the second half of the season.
For more Yankees coverage, check out Kevin Hickey's work on Sporting News.
